A ball frozen within time

To want the world selfishly, and to want to make that world beam with happiness.

I wondered if as a whole, those were conflicting traits.

It was fine as long as those two remained separate people.

Although, when I remembered that ‘Agreste’ and the ‘Baron of Lilacs’ were one and the same, it made my heart feel bitter.

It made my actions feel disingenuous.

The sky was the same dull-orange colour as always, only interrupted by the splotch of blood-red that hung as a constant within the sky. Somewhere amidst the haze, the God Sol sat in wait, supposedly watching over us out of simple spite.

December wore a dress of lace and clouds, as if the whole of a beautiful summer sky sat upon their body in that moment. It cut itself off atop his shoulders, revealing the smooth slenderness of his darkened skin underneath the red-haze. His hair sat curled, divided once more in shades of black and white. His eyes were the same pale amber that cut through the warm air as they always had.

“You fit that dress wonderfully upon yourself.” I smiled. “I wonder, why wear femininity today, as opposed to all other days?”

“I play a role as you do, Agreste.” December winked. ‘Today alone, I will offer you my ‘truth’ and wear it well. Nothing has changed from our first meeting, for today I am simply myself.”

“Then today, are you December to me?” I asked of them.

They shook their head in response.

“No. Today, to you...” They spoke softly. “I am Cassea.”

“Cassea...?” I whispered amidst my own thoughts.

Staring upon their carefully idealised form, I could see clearly a beauty that wasn’t present previously in my own perception of them.

“Cass.”

“Well, I did mention that I didn’t mind what you called me, didn’t I?” Cassea laughed. “I suppose that works.”

Where I stood was an opposition to all I had once witnessed within the bronze city of Aethine. It was like a sculpture carved out of marble, a piece of art within the middle of the bronze city that seemed as if it did not belong there. The building before me stretched high into the air like all others, trying endlessly to rival the sky everyone seemed to despise.

Cassea, acting in their role as December, had arranged for the ‘Baron of Lilacs’ to attend an annual ball held by an undine nobleman. He was one who went by the name ‘Kitsch Yulier’. It was his estate that we had been standing before in that moment.

I had not a singular idea on what to expect from the whole endeavour. In truth, I had no idea why I had even agreed to accompany Cassea. The moment I had even expressed an utterance of ‘yes’, they had immediately whisked me away to be fitted for formal attire.

I now stood beside the personage of pearl-lace, cloaked in midnight as if I stood a starless night sky.

I wore a tailcoat made of black velvet, draped over a white button-up shirt that seemed as if it would reveal the whole of my body if I were to be drenched.

“Why do this much for me?” I asked of Cassea.

They looked over at me as if it was a question they couldn’t begin to understand, as if the answer was wholly obvious.

“We’re friends, aren’t we?” They smiled softly. “Why wouldn’t I do this much?”

Their expression that had once looked completely falsified had faded away.

“Rather... you’re my first real friend, I imagine.” Cassea laughed softly. “So perhaps this isn’t how I should be acting. Sorry, it’ll take me a bit to learn the ropes... of friendship, I mean.”

I looked towards Cassea with a surprised expression. They had abandoned the fake persona they often wore as a mask, and now held a smile of genuine apparel upon their face.

Cassea’s truth was apparent.

A man hovered in the entranceway of the estate, looking a unique match to the marble structure. He wore a white cape lined with gold embellishments, and his attire was nearly of the same shade.

“Ah, here he is.” Cassea spoke softly. “This is who I’ve been meaning to introduce you to. Although, now you too must decide who you’re here as.”

“What do you mean?” I asked of them.

“In the same way I have decided today to be Cassea, over December...” They smiled. “Now too, must you decide on whether you want to be ‘Agreste’, or the ‘Baron of Lilacs’.”

“Then...”

I stepped forward towards the man who stood before me with a determined expression upon my face. The Baron of Lilacs was such a figure who moved without hesitation. Today I had been playing such a role.

“And you are?” He asked of me, an interested and calmed expression upon his face.

He spotted Cassea standing beside me, and his once-interested expression bloomed even further. It was as if clarity washed over his face in that moment.

“To see you alongside December... then you must be?”

I simply nodded in response.

“It’s quite nice to finally be able to greet you formally, Baron of Lilacs.” He spoke with a smile. “My name is Kitsch. I am the master of the estate you stand within, although I hope you will not treat me as such.”

I could sense the genuinity with his eyes. He was a personage diametrically opposed to the newspaper organiser December. Kitsch Yulier was a man who wore his softened, serious heart upon his face.

He had bright-red eyes not too unlike the sun that hung high above his estate, and snow-white hair that mirrored the snowfall the undine had never witnessed. Perhaps if I were to compare it as such aloud, I would be met once again with expressions of confusion. I decided to hold my words back and appease my usually-quieted demeanor.

Snowfall was not a sight I could fabricate, after all.

“I’ve heard much about you, Mr. Yulier.” I smiled in return. “Cass has told me much about you. Well, at least what they were able to fit into the ride over here.”

I had still retained the state of nausea that had been etched into my stomach by riding within the steel automatons that clung to the side of the bronze buildings with such veracity. Unlike the smooth operation of the steam train, the automatons had massive legs that would cling to the rails upon the building’s surface, and it tended to be a much rougher ride in comparison.

It was a cheaper mode of transportation, however. Cassea’s inability to spend much more than absolutely necessary had become apparent to me in the worst ways.

“I’ve become a big admirer of your works in recent days.” Kitsch spoke simply. “When I had heard of my associate December making your acquaintance, I knew then that inviting you was an opportunity I could not bear to pass on.”

“I am truly blessed to have met with your grace, my Lord.” I bowed towards him.

Within the world of Crelle, I was no longer a noble. I was now on the other side of the interactions I had once dreaded. It was a strange feeling, but it was wholly new. For that reason alone, I enjoyed it completely.

“You don’t need to be so formal, Baron.” He spoke amidst a nervous laugh. “There’s no need to be so tense, so you should just call me Kitsch.”

“Then...” I spoke softly in return. “You should just call me Agreste.”

Cassea looked towards me with an expression of surprise in that moment.

“You seem to introduce yourself so casually, for someone that wants to keep their identities separate.” Cassea laughed suddenly.

“Fear not, my new friend.” Kitsch laughed. “I’ve no mind to go and reveal secrets that are not mine. Your identities are safe with me, if that is what you wish.”

“Then I’ve placed my trust well.” I spoke in turn. “I’ll be counting on you, Kitsch.”

“I have had so many questions, for so many weeks...” Kitsch spoke softly. “Now that you’re here however, I can’t seem to remember a single one.”

“Should we adjourn to somewhere quieter so that we may speak in peace?” I offered to him.

I could hear clearly the bustling ballroom by which the gathering had taken place. The three of us waltzed past it, however, continuing down a hallway that looked as if it stretched forward along the entirety of Crelle’s length. The trim was lacy and golden, and the wall had been painted a pure marble-white colour.

It seemed as if Kitsch Yulier was a man of uniformity, in both personage and estate.

“You remind me of my uncle, in some ways.” Kitsch spoke as we walked.

“Your uncle?”

“The King of Uepris, Elien Firenza.” Kitsch spoke with a smile. “He can be a bit... callous at times, but the way his passion shines through despite that... it reminds me a lot of your words.”

“Well, he’s not someone I know too much about, so I should refrain from speaking on the topic.” I smiled in return.

“Well, then in that regard, you’re a little more professionally conserved... as opposed to December, I mean.” Kitsch laughed.

Cassea didn’t seem to be listening as we walked, wholly enveloped in the space. They had grown too used to their own confined office space, anything remotely more-open always standing as a wonder to them.

As I filed cautiously through my own thoughts, I quickly came to find a reason for my being at Kitsch’s gathering. Steeling my heart, I spoke simply towards him.

“Kitsch, can I address those you have gathered here as the Baron?” I asked of him. “I have quite a... selfish request.”

He looked surprised upon my sudden words, but a warm smile quickly washed over his face.

“How could I deny anything so small from someone I have grown to respect so much?” Kitsch laughed.

In another moment, I stood before the whole of the ballroom. Dozens of nobles, heirs and heiresses of the undine nation stood before me. I was not nervous, however. Amidst my own self-serving interests, there was an eerie calm within my heart.

I took a deep breath inwards to cut the silence of the room, and parted my lips as if to speak.

“My name is the Baron of Lilacs.” I said simply.

—-

It stood like a carved statue within the middle of Aethine. Almost as if made of marble, it was a pure-white colour that reflected the light of the red-haze that spread out across the bronze city.

Theresia Hayes stood inside of the estate of Kitsch Yulier, having heard of a gathering taking place within. She had heard of the appearance of the Baron of Lilacs.

She had quickly rushed her way through the bustling city, for Theresia could not rid herself of the aching within her heart.

Within the dwindling atmosphere of the ballroom, it seemed lively and filled with cheer, as if a sudden announcement had excited the whole of the gathering’s attendance.

In front of Theresia stood a man cloaked in white, his attire lined with a gold-trim that matched the walls of the estate so wonderfully.

“Excuse me, is the Baron still here?” Theresia asked of the man standing before her.

He had irises as red as blood, and a head of hair that sat white as the ash given off by the hazy sky.

“No, I’m sorry.” The man spoke softly in return, shaking his head. “In all actuality, he just left this very moment. He asked a very strange yet enthralling request of us all, and then seemingly disappeared. When he spoke, he had so much passion in his voice... it left us all with wonder in our eyes.”

Theresia’s eyes widened, her head turning immediately towards the door that had just closed within the ballroom. With a speed that matched her aching heart, she followed the fading apparition of her love through the door.

The door opened up to the warm exterior world of Crelle, a far divide in mood from the fair estate of Kitsch Yulier.

Yet, underneath a hazy red sky, the Baron of Lilacs had vanished.